This section is packed with step-by-step guides and resources to work through the process of testing your business idea to writing a business plan, as well as sign-posting the business support on offer for groups in the very early stages of starting a co‑op.

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Should my business be a co‑operative?

This section gives an overview of what a co-operative is, and asks you some simple questions to help you decide whether a co-operative model is best for your business or organisation.

What is a co-operative?

There are nearly 7,000 co-operatives across the UK. They range from multi-billion pound businesses to small community enterprises, and work in everything from healthcare to housing, renewables to retail, sports to social care. Together they contribute more than £34.1bn to the British economy.

Co-operatives are businesses owned and controlled by their members, who can be customers, staff, suppliers, local residents or a combination of these stakeholders

Members have an equal say in how the business is run

Members choose what to do with profits, whether distributing among members, reinvesting in the business or giving to the community

A co-operative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise.

The co-operative model is flexible. It works in sectors across the economy and can be organised in a range of ways. It enables businesses large and small to thrive, gives the people closest to the business a stake in it, harnesses their ideas and as a result boosts productivity. It is a tried and tested business model.